Part 4: Hope After Heartbreak (featuring Ruth and Naomi)

Part 3 Review — Gleaning Grace (featuring Ruth and Boaz) — Ruth 2:1-17

Series Introduction

Over a month ago we began a new series titled “Ruth: From Ruin To Redemption,” an 8-part series taken from the Book of Ruth

The Book of Ruth fits chronologically right in the middle of the Book of Judges (even though it comes right after it in our Bibles)

Because of this, the story of Ruth stands out like a tiny ray of sunlight in a cold, dark abyss.

Each week, we’re going to look at what each part of the story teaches us about God and about people:

How God is faithful, loving, kind, and providential for His people.

How God’s people should take that faithfulness, love, kindness, and grace and reflect it back into the world around them

Ruth 2:1-17

At the beginning of Ruth 2 we are introduced to a brand new character: Boaz

At this point, Naomi and Ruth don’t know anything about Boaz, but the narrator tells us that he is a wealthy man of great influence

Beyond that, we see that Boaz isn’t some distant relative. He was a close family member to Elimelech

The Bible says that Ruth “happens” to go to Boaz’s field to glean, but we know that it wasn’t a coincidence

When Boaz returns, he notices Ruth and asks his servant about her

While the beginning is negative (she is a Moabite), the servant expresses that Ruth has shown herself to be kind and hard-working

Boaz takes an interest in her, and he goes to find out who she is

After speaking with Ruth, we see Boaz treat her with incredible grace

In v. 8 he graciously told her she could always glean from his field

In v. 8 he also welcomed her as if she was one of his own maidens

In v. 14 he told her that she had a seat at his dinner table and humbly served her himself

In v. 16 he selflessly instructed his servants to leave bundles of barley behind for Ruth to pick up

Ruth was shocked by this kindness, especially because (as she said in verse 10) she wasn’t “like the other maidens”

In the end, Ruth was able to glean enough food for her and Naomi to eat for weeks!

After a series of horrible tragedies, this Boaz figure seems to finally be a ray of light in this otherwise dark story

What truths do we see about people?

God hasn’t left the story, and we must by faith trust Him with the future that we cannot see.

What truths do we see about God?

God hasn’t left the story, and He is still working through people who live like Jesus

Tonight, we will continue Ruth’s story starting in Ruth 2:17

Part 4 — Hope After Heartbreak (featuring Ruth and Naomi) — Ruth 2:17-23

Introducing The Thought

“Have you ever been heartbroken?”

It’s like when you finally get that letter back from your crush that says “Do you like me? Circle yes or no.”, and when you open the letter the word “Yes” is not circled.

Pain.

In 2015, a journalist for ScienceAlert.com reported on "What Happens To Your Brain When You Get Your Heart Broken.”

She writes:

...falling in love...activates the 'reward' neurons in your brain, and this triggers the release of the feel-good hormone dopamine.

But the thing about dopamine is that it always leaves your brain wanting more, which explains that new-love feeling of obsession where you literally can't be without the other person (you hang up first, no, you hang up first). Our brains eventually fall into a more stable pattern when we're in a relationship, but they still expect to get their dopamine boost from being around your loved one. And when that person suddenly gets ripped away from you, it leaves your brain scrambling for its next hit. The result is very similar to that obsessive new-love phase, but gone terribly wrong.

Binge-eating works temporarily, so does staring at photos of your ex, but at the end of the day, your brain is going to need to rewire itself to get over it. And according to research published earlier this year, that takes on average three months.

Anyone who's ever been dumped will know that it not only feels like someone's punched you right in the heart, it also makes you seriously crazy. It's the kind of pain that drives you to send 28 text messages to your ex in 15 minutes and quit your job because "nothing matters if I don't have someone to share it with.”

As crazy as this can sound, going through a real hurt can cause us to become blind to what is really true.

Sometimes we can start to see everything in our lives through the lens of some hurt that we have experienced.

It’s happens in breakups, but it also happens in our spiritual lives. And it definitely happened for Naomi.

Telling The Story

Situation: The setting, background, characters, etc.

Ruth 2:17–18 KJV 1900

17 So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 And she took it up, and went into the city: and her mother in law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought forth, and gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed.

These two verses give us a transition in the story: we are going from the field to the city. From Ruth and Boaz to Ruth and Naomi.

A lot has just taken place! Ruth has quite the story to tell Naomi...

Stress: The trouble that gives the story its dynamic

While all of this has been going on, you can imagine Naomi eagerly awaiting Ruth’s return

Would she have any food for them?

Was she okay? She is a Moabite after all, people aren’t excited about her being there

The way the story is worded is worth notice: the Bible says Naomi saw what Ruth had gleaned.

This tells us right out of the gate, Naomi could clearly see that Ruth had some massive success.

Remember, what Ruth had wasn’t just a lot for a day, she was carrying several weeks worth of food from one day’s work!

When Ruth arrives, she presents two surprising things to Naomi:

First, she has enough food for weeks! This was enough on its own to demand an explanation

Secondly, Ruth had apparently saved some food from her earlier meal at Boaz’s home, because she offered some to Naomi

Could you imagine Naomi’s excitement here?!

It had probably been so long since she had a home-cooked meal, and Ruth was kind enough to save some for her (again, showing her loyalty and care towards Naomi)

Then, she had reason to believe that for some reason they would not have to starve!

Naomi is ready to find out what in the world has happened to Ruth during this day...

Search: The various solutions explored as the story unfolds

Ruth 2:19–20 KJV 1900

19 And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz. 20 And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.

Naomi fires off multiple questions to Ruth, even repeating herself a little — it’s as if she says, “Where have you been? Where did you go to work work? Who did you meet?!”

Clearly, Naomi is overcome with what looks like the first bit of hope since early in chapter 1

Naomi also alludes here that she recognizes there is no way that Ruth could have gleaned that much without some kind of special help

Finally, Ruth speaks up, saving the big reveal of her newfound helper for the last word in her sentence.

“The man’s name… whose field I worked in… while I was gone today… is BOAZ!”

It’s at this point that Naomi is overcome with emotion.

Ruth didn’t just come home with 30 pounds of grain. She didn’t just bring her a home-cooked meal. There is something much greater than all of these...

Solution: The solution discovered, resolving the stress

When Naomi finally heard the name “Boaz” it hit her: “Boaz. Boaz… He is family Ruth! He is our family!”

For the first time in a long time, Naomi speaks of God in a positive way.

This situation has changed everything for her.

The God of Israel, the God who she thought was against her, the God who had forgotten her, the God who had ruined her life — He was still at work!

Naomi says, “Blessed is the Lord, Whose kindness hasn’t abandoned us. And Who hasn’t abandoned our dead.”

This is a big deal!

When Naomi says here that God has been kind to “the living and the dead,” she is referring to the fact that by blessing her and Ruth, God’s blessing also extends to her deceased husband and sons.

This comment is related not just to the food, but to the fact that Naomi knows that Boaz is a part of their family. He is a near kin.

This offers hope that this may not be the shameful ending of Elimelech’s family after all!

See, what Naomi described here, the word that she uses, is this concept of the “kinsman-redeemer.”

The kinsman-redeemer is a person who has legal duties towards members of their family based on certain situations.

Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 2

Boaz was a close enough relative to Naomi and Ruth to be a redeemer (go'el). This provided hope to Naomi and Ruth. If Boaz exercised his responsibility as a redeemer by marrying Ruth, he would provide an heir for Naomi (see Ruth 4:5). See note on 1:11 (compare Gen 38:8 and note).

The responsibilities of a redeemer or go'el according to the law included buying back family land that had been sold (Lev 25:25), buying a family member who had sold himself into slavery (Lev 25:47–49), or marrying the childless widow of a family member (Deut 25:5–10).

Does one of those sound familiar to you?

Ruth was a childless widow of a family member!

Boaz wasn’t just a source of food, he was potentially the source of their family continuing on!

What was quite possibly the greatest tragedy Naomi experienced could be made right again through this man Boaz!

God hadn’t just provided them with food, He had provided them with hope!

(New) Situation: The new circumstances that prevail

Ruth and Naomi have hope! This changes everything!

But Ruth shares a couple more details with Naomi in the final verses of the chapter.

Ruth 2:21–23 KJV 1900

21 And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest. 22 And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field. 23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law.

Ruth told Naomi all of the additional generous things that Boaz had told her

She could have a place to glean for the rest of the season

Boaz told his young men to stay away from her

Boaz had given her a place among his maidens

Naomi responded to Ruth with some instructions: Stay in his field, stay with his maidens.

Clearly, Naomi has hope for a future somehow tied with this man, Boaz.

More than anything, she is waiting to see if Boaz will turn out to be the kinsman-redeemer that they are hoping for

Let’s look at two truths we can see in this passage

Finding The Truth

What truths do we see about people?

God is faithful in heartbreak, but our hurt can blind us

The truth is, even throughout all the heartbreak, God never left Naomi’s story

Yet, for a good while, Naomi couldn’t see Him at all, and eventually she believed He had left

Ruth 1:12–13 KJV 1900

12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons; 13 Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.

Naomi had given up hope!

One truth that this story shows us about people is that our hurt can blind us to what is true.

When we are hurting, when we are experiencing difficulty, sometimes our perspective gets a little blurry.

Sometimes, we begin to see a jaded version of reality.

Have you ever had one of those days where things were fine, and then something really frustrating happened, and suddenly everything that was fine before becomes just as frustrating? It’s human nature!

Our frustrations can sometimes bleed over into other areas of our lives, and as a result we can become blinded by our hurt.

This is exactly what happened to Elijah the Prophet in 1 Kings 19

Romans 11 recounts this whole story for us in just a few verses:

Romans 11:2–4 KJV 1900

2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, 3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.

He served God faithfully, preached truth, tore down altars to false gods, and after it all, he became discouraged and lonely in the wilderness

Israel was wicked, and it felt to him like he had no one! No family, no friends — the only people that did know of him were trying to kill him

So Elijah says to God, “Why have you done this to me?! I served you faithfully, and now, I am the only one left who even cares about you.”

Yet, God tells Elijah, “I have 7,000 people you don’t even know about who have remained faithful to me! You’re not alone!”

Elijah was so discouraged and hurt that he began to see the world through a jaded lens, and he believed that he had no hope!

This can happen to us too!

When we are hurt, and life doesn’t go the way we planned, we can begin to believe that God has left us and there is no hope!

Even though God is faithful even in our heartbreak, our hurt can blind us to that truth and make us believe that He has left the story.

What truths do we see about God?

God is faithful in heartbreak, and hope in Him can restore us

What Naomi and Ruth discovered in this story is that God really was faithful, and He hadn’t left their story

Naomi had entered the city of Bethlehem just hours before and declared that God had ruined her life!

And now, she sees that God hasn’t abandoned her, and she has hope!

Ruth 2:20 KJV 1900

20 And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.

It’s amazing to see the shift that takes place in Naomi — but it’s also easy to point fingers at her and accuse her of being so faithless

But I think we should be encouraged by what we see with Naomi! Naomi’s story here shows what hope in God can do for a person!

Nothing had changed yet. Naomi was still poor, they still had no real family, and they had still lost so much. Yet, Boaz brought a glimmer of hope!

This glimmer of hope totally transformed Naomi’s outlook on her life. It’s not that she hadn’t been through pain, it’s that she wasn’t going to let that pain define her story anymore!

Hope is a powerful thing, and with God, there is always hope!

In Romans 8, Paul talks about this very thing

He opens explaining that we will suffer hurt in this world, and that the whole earth is crying out to be redeemed.

But he quickly follows it up with our hope. We have hope in Jesus Christ, and this can hope can restore our hearts.

Romans 8:22–39 KJV 1900

22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul ends that passage in such a beautiful way. If God really loves us enough to save us and adopt us, then what can stop His love!

After listing hurt after hurt, he confidently declares one of my favorite two verses in all of Scripture!

Romans 8:38–39 KJV 1900

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This world is broken, and unfortunately, that means we will suffer hurt while we are living here.

But, with God, there is always hope. He is still at work, and His love for is more powerful than anything we can experience on this earth.

Hope in God can restore our hearts and help us see a way forward.

Challenge

I’ve shared this verse with you many times over the years, but it’s relevant enough to share again tonight

Psalm 43:5 KJV 1900

5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, Who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

I’m not sure where you land in this story, but I want to challenge you with one thought tonight from our two key ideas:

Don’t allow the hurt in your life to blind you to the hope you have in God

Maybe you have fallen into the trap of believing that hurt you are experiencing has to define your life — it doesn’t have to!

Maybe you have forgotten the hope that is ever-present to us because of the love of Jesus Christ — choose to remember!

God hasn’t left the story — you have hope!

God has a plan for your life — you have hope!

The heartbreaks that we face cannot be compared to what God has in store for us — you have hope!

Nothing you experience in this world can separate you from the God that loves you and has a plan for your life — you have hope!

Tonight, let the hope that we have in God restore your heart and motivate you to continue following Jesus with your life.